Opinion – Virginia Right!http://www.varight.com
News from Virginia, the US and the WorldSun, 18 Mar 2018 06:49:41 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.47449760Identity Theft & Invasion of Privacy in the Age of Applehttp://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/identity-theft-invasion-of-privacy-in-the-age-of-apple/
http://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/identity-theft-invasion-of-privacy-in-the-age-of-apple/#respondSun, 18 Mar 2018 06:49:41 +0000http://www.varight.com/?p=28288The things that we’ve historically categorized as fantasy all too often become fact. Mary Shelley’s 1818 book, Frankenstein, predicted organ transplants while H.G. Wells’ 1914 novel, The World Set Free, foresaw the creation of the atomic bomb. In 1931, Aldous Huxley conjured a vision of a drug-dependent society that valued sexual freedom and drug use over monogamy and lucidity.

It is clear when we crack almost any vintage tome of science fiction that we are peering into a future that is our current reality. Perhaps none are more relevant today than George Orwell’s 1949 masterwork, 1984.

Like a latter-day Nostradamus, Orwell was a seer, one who foretold a time when a totalitarian state would implement a new language called Newspeak whose sole purpose would be to confuse and persuade its citizens. If that doesn’t sound familiar to the average American, one need only look so far as a CNN broadcast to get an earful of it.

The “proles” of Orwell’s novel, a group of blissfully ignorant, mindless workers are people we’ve all met at one point or another. Today, they are the denizens of methadone clinics and telemarketing firms.

All of this is terrifyingly on point enough, but Orwell’s greatest prediction is one that we are grappling with now more than ever. The telescreens used for entertainment in the book are also watching the characters’ every move.

These screens pick up both audio and video, rendering privacy impossible and scrutiny inevitable. If that doesn’t sound like an iPad or iPhone, I don’t know what does.

Americans are facing a total assault of their Fifth Amendment right to privacy and it’s costing us more than our sense of personal security. Identity theft hit a record high in 2017 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Recent data on ID crimes shows that thieves are gaining toeholds into poorly secured accounts to gain purchase to more important segments of our financial lives. A survey by Javelin Strategy found that 16.7 million people have been affected by identity theft last year alone.

Countless Americans have to deal with credit bureau disputes when erroneous information appears on their their credit reports. All too often, the problem owes to fraudulent activity by an identity thief.

We have become a target not just by your typical cybercriminal but by our own Internet service providers who collect our personal information and sell it off to third parties. Data collection brokers are also regularly mining our personal information for details that will assist companies in targeting consumers.

The information these companies collect about us is more than a little disturbing. Gender, religion and ethnicity are among the data that is shared with brands. Billions of details are sold annually that pertain to our online, offline and mobile activities. But it doesn’t stop there; retail giants have even found a way to determine if a consumer is pregnant.

Approximately 95 percent of Americans do some, if not all, of their shopping online. Four in 10 Americans manage their bank accounts online. We are all vulnerable to attack or invasion of privacy.

Although cyberattacks are punishable under federal law, nothing has been done to properly restrict data collection companies. Social media mainstay Facebook has even put out analytics apps like Onavo Project that they shrewdly market to users as an application for protecting one’s privacy. In reality, the app is being used by Onavo to collect user activity which is then shared with Facebook itself.

One would think that the line would be drawn at that, but even those in a supposedly ethical profession are getting in on the action. Doctors have begun mining data on their patients.

Their goal is said to be benevolent in nature with providers claiming that they want to use the data to predict health problems, but given the shoddy relationship many health care facilities have with pharmaceutical reps, it’s not hard to imagine that this data will be used by shills to earn commissions while charging our insurance companies obscene rates for new medications.

All of these Fifth Amendment violations are somehow allowed to occur without penalty and the problem appears to be growing. All across the Internet, morally bankrupt bloggers have posted articles glorifying data mining as the competitive edge that companies need to make long-term growth.

With threats coming at us from all angles, now is the time for the people to arm themselves with the proper defense against the online assault. VPNs (Virtual private networks) are a privacy tool that can keep users’ online activity secure and anonymous.

By using one of the fastest and most secure VPN providers on the market (ie, one that does not log your IP address), users can hide their location, unblock censored content and maintain total privacy. No longer will anyone be able to see who you’re emailing, what’s in your bank account or what you’re looking at.

Sam Bocetta is a retired engineer who worked for over 35 years as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, specializing in electronic warfare and advanced computer systems. He teaches in Ottawa, Canada as a part time engineering professor and is the ASEAN affairs correspondent for Gun News Daily.

]]>http://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/identity-theft-invasion-of-privacy-in-the-age-of-apple/feed/028288Virginia is Not United on Gun Controlhttp://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/virginia-is-not-united-on-gun-control/
http://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/virginia-is-not-united-on-gun-control/#respondFri, 09 Mar 2018 02:25:47 +0000http://www.varight.com/?p=28268Florida Republicans may have broken with GOP values and the NRA by backing a wasteful $400 million gun control bill. Retail outlets like Dick’s Sporting Goods may be cowing down to the Twitter-happy Left by removing assault-style rifles from their nationwide locations. But not everyone is content to grin and bear the swath of social network assaults and media temper tantrums about guns in America.

As we saw back in January, the Virginia Senate sees things differently and more pragmatically. Instead of less guns in less places, they wisely opted to pass legislation that would allow firearms in places of worship. This, of course, was in response to the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX, an incident where 26 lives were taken.

The VA Senate’s move is something that all US states should take note of as it underscores the importance of guns for self-defense and illustrates the way in which we can prevent these deadly mass shootings from occurring.

Gun control has been a hot topic in the state for quite some time; it was the top agenda of Governor McAuliffe and Governor-Elect Ralph Northam earlier that month with the Gov calling for expanded background checks.

Fortunately for those residing in Old Dominion, the newly sworn-in Gov. Northam’s legislation was dealt a swift blow from the Senate who blocked his bill to regulate gun purchases and limit guns at public rallies. As the expression goes, cooler heads prevailed.

Their decision came mere weeks before the Parkland shooting sent the Left into a tizzy. February saw the advent of the #NeverAgain movement whose poster children were thrust into the spotlight to become the pretty, innocent face of the anti-gun agenda. And as in the case of the mythical Sisyphus, it’s been all downhill from there.

We’ve watched as hypocritical celebrities tweeted about ending gun violence while earning millions from starring in big budget shoot-em-ups. We watched belligerent kids refusing to return to school until their demands were met.

We’ve seen those same kids return to school after appearing on popular talk shows to push for gun restriction. And we’ve shaken our heads as TV funnyman Jimmy Kimmel made false statements about the president’s repeal of Obama-era gun legislation.

Also like Sisyphus, the Left are still stubbornly rolling their gun control boulder back up the hill despite their repeated failures. They show no sign of giving up as we’ve seen with the rash of recent tweets urging more big box stores to stop carrying long guns.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has told CBS News that “It’s not gun control, it’s gun sense,” which suggests that the Virginia Democrat has no sense. Manchin’s appearance on “Face the Nation” was hit latest attempt at plugging the Manchin-Toomey bill, a piece of tired legislation that aims to tighten background checks.

It’s yet another example of Democrats frothing at the mouth after a mass shooting and ignoring the larger problem. They never bother to mention the FBI’s disorganization and lack of resources when it comes to background checks. In 2016, the FBI had to halt appeals by prospective gun buyers because of the overwhelming volume of background checks for new gun sales.

Perhaps the scariest part of all is how liberals have expanded their focus to trample not only on the Second Amendment but, also, on the First and Fifth. Not content to simply ask for a ban on rifle calibers and AR-15s, the Left are apparently gunning for our freedom of expression and privacy.

Over the past several years, Facebook and Google have begun to routinely remove conservative content. YouTube is also mass-censoring right-wing commentators.

Such censorship may seem like nothing new; after all, the liberal media regularly whitewash the facts and stifle Republican voices (just look at how Left-wing big mouth Bill Maher cuts off his Right-wing guests). And as far back as 2013, the Left-slanted Journal News got in hot water for publishing a map of gun owners’ names and addresses in New York State.

But 2018 has seen more widespread misconduct than ever before. Tune into any late night talk show and you’ll find folks like Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert perpetuating fake news like President Trump’s alleged hiring of Russian prostitutes. Take a quick, nauseating glance at the once-smartly subversive Saturday Nite Live and all you’ll see is a variety show bankrupt of ideas and forced to recycle their tired mockery of our Commander-in-Chief.

Not only is it sad to see how hackneyed American entertainment has become, it is also scary to see just how far they are willing to go to attack people who clash with their political ideology. Since the 2016 president campaign, the Left has done nothing but play dirty and even the general public have become tyrannical in their approach to those with opposing opinions.

At least one man lost his job because he supported Trump in his private life.Eddie Slayton, a resident of Ephrata, PA, was fired by his Muslim boss on the grounds that his support of Trump was not in keeping with the company’s peaceful environment.

It’s times like this that Virginians and, indeed, all Americans should be protecting their privacy and preventing themselves from being censored. There are a number of privacy tools out there from secure web hosting to VPNs (Virtual private networks) which enable users to hide their IP addresses and keep liberal trolls at bay.

Dedicated VPN technology can unblock censored content, safeguard against potential attacks by hackers and prevent a security breach. It’s the safe way to go about your business online without being targeted by people who would use your political beliefs against you.

If you’re a political commentator with a website that receives a lot of traffic and sells a lot of merch, secure web hosting can make a big difference in terms of handling sensitive transactions and protecting the anonymity of your customers.

Sam Bocetta is a retired engineer who worked for over 35 years as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, specializing in electronic warfare and advanced computer systems. He teaches in Ottawa, Canada as a part time engineering professor and is the ASEAN affairs correspondent for Gun News Daily.

In a fawning (almost sickening ) letter in the last edition of the Mechanicsville Local, the Leader of the M.T.P praised Congressman Rob Wittman for his vote to lower taxes. Given Wittman’s decade long tenure in Congress he has a record , and not one that most conservatives get excited about. Did you know for example that two years ago a bill that would have cut the fat subsidies Amtrak receives….the good Congressman voted NO ? What spending would Wittman cut, if not this low hanging fruit ? It’s a fair question. Back to the letter.

The leader of the M.T.P stated that “MY 401K was rising, MY taxes were lower”….leaving me to wonder as I read it , did this guy ever understand what the Patriot movement was about ? Has the National debt decreased ? Has any spending been cut ? Did he ever have a clue of the magnitude of the fight we are engaged in ?

Leadership requires a willingness to fight, to stand firm on principles that you refuse to compromise on. This isn’t about ourgeneration, ( or our 401K’s )but what kind of country our children and grandchildren will inherit, and he clearly demonstrates he doesn’t even begin to see the damage he does with this type of hero worship baloney.

This guy is the typical republicrat establishment good old boy who places a priority on winning, and everyone getting along, more than he does getting something of substance done. You can’t sit back comfortable in your personal good standing with the local republicrats and pretend you actually achieved anything.

You can only ride the Brat wagon for so long. Anyone paying attention to Hanover county government already understands the harm that has come to the citizens of Hanover under this guy’s absolute pathetically weak leadership. Has Hanover cut spending or shrunk local government ? Has Hanover spent less money or lowered taxes ? They re-elected the same people to the B.O.S that openly attended their meetings back in 2010-11 and lied through their collective teeth about what they intended to do. The M.T.P turned not one of them out of office.

I founded the Mechanicsville T.E.A Party some 8 years ago as a non-partisan grass roots civic organization to thwart the growth of local government, to drive out of office the good old boys who are simple stooges for the developers and the crony capitalists they have imbedded into Hanover government. What is has become under this type of vacillating weak leadership saddens me more than anything. They have accomplished nothing of substance, unless of course you include carrying water for the very establishment network we started to dismantle 8 years ago.

]]>http://www.varight.com/opinion/mechanicsville-t-e-a-party-leader-is-clueless/feed/1328198Nick Freitas Opens Door to Jim Gilmore to Lose to Tim Kainehttp://www.varight.com/news/nick-freitas-opens-door-to-jim-gilmore-to-lose-to-tim-kaine/
http://www.varight.com/news/nick-freitas-opens-door-to-jim-gilmore-to-lose-to-tim-kaine/#commentsTue, 09 Jan 2018 16:18:36 +0000http://www.varight.com/?p=28162With the weak leadership at the Republican Party of Virginia apparently pushing Nick Freitas into the 2018 Senate race to topple far left Democrat Senator Tim Kaine, Jim Gilmore has to see that as a plus for his chances to win the nomination.

And Gilmore will, of course, lose.

That’s not a knock on the former Governor. but an observation stating the obvious, given the political landscape for the Republican Party in Virginia.

Republicans, fresh off an ass-whooping the likes of which they have never seen, appear to be on a “full speed ahead” course to grant Tim Kaine another term.

The #neverTrump Freitas will serve as a siphon to pull votes away from Corey Stewart. Not that the #neverTrump crowd would vote for Stewart, but as Ed Gillespie found out, Stewart has a lot more support in Virginia from the same folks that put Trump over the top in the 2016 primary.

And while the #neverTrump crowd along with the RINO establishment want to blame Trump for last year’s defeat in the House of Delegates and top 3 races, that is completely the wrong message to take away from the 2017 election.

Yes, the Democrats masterfully used fake news and lies to scare a large (and largely ignorant) anti-Trump turnout last November, but the Republicans – with the exception of Lt. Governor candidate Jill Vogel – distanced themselves from Trump and allowed the Democrats to turn Trump into the boogie man without challenge. So the Democrats tied Trump with the fake news and reports about him to every Republican running at every level. And the fearful Republicans, with few exceptions, ran away from Trump and allowed the Democrats to bludgeon them bloody in the election.

Had they challenged the Democrat’s false narrative, the defeat wouldn’t have been nearly as bad. The House would not have come down to a drawing for control. (And perhaps a court appeal.)

No, the spineless GOP ran from the fake news and failed to embrace the Trump economy, jobs reports, unemployment decrease and general rise in the American mood after 16 years of mediocrity and incompetence.

So we have Corey Stewart as the only candidate to stand up to the media lies about Trump, the only candidate to refuse to be cowered by Democrats and the only candidate not afraid to buck the trend of Political Correctness and advocate for American’s and Virginian’s.

But rather than support a candidate that can actually win, it appears that the #neverTrump crowd, which has mostly become #neverStewart, prefer another defeat by another candidate who will run from Trump, alienate the Trump base and the voters who care more about Virginia than the GOP Power scene.

Pity. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is never an attractive option. But this is where Freitas supports want to go.

And we all know what will happen. Freitas will pull the #neverTrump vote and widen the divide within the Party, Stewart will pull the #MAGA -MVGA voters leaving someone like Gilmore an open path to the nomination.

And on election day, the #neverStewart’s and the #MAGA-MVGA will unite and stay home, refusing to vote for the #Establishment candidate.

And Tim Kaine glides to another victory.

And RPV Chairman Whitbeck has already appeared to tip his and for Nick Freitas, ensuring another defeat for the Virginia Republican Party.

Leadership, in the form of a Chairman that can unite the still warring factions of the Trump-Cruz Presidential Primary of 2016 is the only way Republicans will see the light of day again in Virginia. John Whitbeck simply has alienated too many Republicans to get the job done.

Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog.
Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.

Editor’s Note: I am posting this for Ron Hedlund. After the worst losing streak in Virginia Republican history, it seems John Whitbeck, the Chairman presiding over the disaster that is the RPV, instead of trying to find ways to win, Whitbeck is busy attacking people like Ron Hedlund. It is my personal opinion that any Chairman worth his salt, after presiding over the annihilation of the Republican Party would offer his resignation. Instead, Whitbeck continues to stir the pot of internal bickering and turmoil. That is not leadership. It is childishness and arrogance. Virginia Republicans deserve better. – Tom White

By Ron Hedlund

From our RPV Chairman:

Now he’s (that would be me, Ron Hedlund) lying again to attack the organization he quit because he has nothing better to do with his time. #getalife
From John Whitbeck

Perhaps our kind, compassionate, Chairman is not aware of why I had to resign from the State Central Committee. If he is not aware, then I can forgive him for this callous commentary. But I suspect he was soon after my resignation made aware of my reasons behind it.

On a side note, I have several friends who are friends with Mr. Whitbeck. And more than one has wondered why I don’t get along with him. When I tell them why, they come back with this old, tired response, “Well, John has never lied to me.” And my response to them is, “YET”.

Back to my resignation:
My mother-in-law came down with very serious health issues a few years ago. Then, nearly three years ago, her husband, my longtime business partner, who was caring for her, suddenly and unexpectedly passed while out of state. Less than one year later, her oldest son, my childhood friend and brother-in-law, passed after a brief terminal diagnosis.

I was actually running for State Central Committee in the 7th Congressional District of Dave David Brat, and running a Chairman’s campaign against John Whitbeck while visiting my brother-in-law for the last time in Iowa.

After burying my brother-in-law, and winning the SCC race, I was solely responsible for running a seven figure small business, while trying to maintain two households between Henrico and Hanover Counties. During this time, my business served as the warehouse and clearinghouse for all Trump materials over a three state area, I helped support the Virginia Trump HQ, had the keys to the Trump storage facility after the primary and I was actively recruiting Trump supporters all over the state, including Trump surrogate support leading up to and during the Cleveland convention.

2017 was a crossroads for me and my family. After much prayer and reflection, we made the decision to move in with Kathy’s mother and become permanent residents of Hanover Co. For those not familiar with the 7th District, Hanover is no longer in the 7th, but now is in the 1st District of Rob Whitman.

I must admit I considered keeping the house in Henrico while living in Hanover and keeping my seat on SCC in the 7th District. I had spent incredible time and treasure to get the four year seat only one year earlier. But, I refused to resort to the same tricks others have employed to hold on to vestiges of power. I even publicly admitted as such when I resigned and let my constituents know why I was resigning. Apparently, Chairman Whitbeck either missed that or forgot. Trust me, it seems he sees or hears of everything I post on FB.

I did deactivate my FB and concentrate on my family and business for the past several months. The good news is that I just sold the business and we are buying the home in Hanover and selling the house in Henrico. Hence, my opportunity to get back on FB and take a look again at the political landscape. And what I am seeing today is just as corrupt and filthy as it was when I got on SCC.

We have a lack of leadership in so many levels of our party. We have so many good folks who used to be a part of RPV and left in disgust. We have so many good folks who want to be a part of a winning agenda. We have so many problems in our party just waiting for leaders to step forward and take the reins.

There are always roadblocks that need unblocking. There are always naysayers that need to be turned into believers. There are always going to be problems that need to be turned into opportunities. The future is a wonderful thing.

I got a life, thank you, John. I had better, more important things to do this past year than SCC and RPV.

Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog.
Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.

]]>http://www.varight.com/news/ron-hedlund-responds-to-rpv-chairman-whitbecks-attacks/feed/228160Lovettsville Lady has Gone off the Deep End.http://www.varight.com/news/lovettsville-lady-has-gone-off-the-deep-end/
http://www.varight.com/news/lovettsville-lady-has-gone-off-the-deep-end/#commentsTue, 09 Jan 2018 14:14:11 +0000http://www.varight.com/?p=28161While I have never met Jeanine Martin , as a frequent commentator on The Bull Elephant, I do indeed read her posts and admire her passionate drive to move conservative thought forward here in Virginia. Mrs. Martin never hid her disdain for our current President but in her post today, titled “ Proof Trump cost us the election” she lends the impression that there is some evidence of this reported Trump derangement syndrome , bordering on almost a mental illness. I normally ignore these otherwise normal folks who go immediately off on a tangent as soon as they hear Trumps name.

Ms. Martin attempts to make the case using graphs that represent voter preferences ( according to a VCU poll) but she ignores that Hillary Clinton carried Virginia in the 2016 race, that north of Spotsylvania is a literal bastion of federal & state government employees that are terrified that Trump just might take the candy away. Federal & State employees deserve to be fairly compensated……..but the public sector is out of control, and everyone knows it. Ms. Martin either conveniently overlooks this to further her Trump derangement theory, or downplays it to try and strengthen her argument that Trump was the cause.

Her graph shows for example that the largest percentage of Northam’s supporters ( 36% ) claim they voted to emphasize their disdain for the Trump Administration ? Of course when one considers the 36% VCU shows in their survey have some correlation to the facts stated above, relative to the angry mob of government employees who hate this President because of the direct threat he does pose to putting the brakes on public sector costs that are often cited as the underlying problem with multiple states such as New Jersey, Illinois, California, New York

In a recent TV interview outgoing Governor Chris Christy ( NJ) was asked what onething was hampering him from getting NJ back on track, to which Christy replied immediately…. “publicsectorpensionandretireehealthcarebenefits”.

Mrs. Martin gets it half right, Trump did indeed drive up Democrat voter turnout, but I will point out , you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, and the omelet knows Trump is coming for them too . As a businessman Trump understands costs—his enemies know that and he will at some point turn his attention to this particular issue

Mrs. Martin states that Trump drove up Democrat turnout because of their hatred for him……and perhaps she is correct. But it does not erase the point that government employees who hadn’t voted in the past turned out in droves and she misses precisely why, choosing instead to continue hammering a President she simply does not like.

]]>http://www.varight.com/news/lovettsville-lady-has-gone-off-the-deep-end/feed/628161Pelosi Lies Again, This Time on Concealed Carryhttp://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/pelosi-lies-again-this-time-on-concealed-carry/
http://www.varight.com/opinion/oped/pelosi-lies-again-this-time-on-concealed-carry/#commentsFri, 29 Dec 2017 19:21:52 +0000http://www.varight.com/?p=28148Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – a Democrat completely misrepresented our nation’s gun laws to try and push their own flawed political agenda. This time around, it was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who took to Twitter to whine about H.R. 38, better known as the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017.

Pelosi did accomplish something remarkable with her tweet, though. She actually managed to get the left-leaning Washington Post to call her out for being wrong. The same Washington Post that accused VARight of “denying facts” for pointing out biased polls in favor of Hillary Clinton. We all saw how that turned out. Having to criticize Pelosi was certainly a bitter pill to swallow for the Washington Post.

Just how bad was Pelosi’s tweet about H.R. 38? Even if we grade her on a curve to compare what she said with the typical Democrat hysteria about guns, her tweet was still absolutely terrible.

Pelosi’s False Claims on Concealed Carry Reciprocity

In her tweet, Pelosi says that inviting violent criminals, domestic abusers and convicted stalkers to carry concealed weapons doesn’t save lives, but the House GOP voted to let them anyway by passing H.R. 38.

To call H.R. 38 an invitation to carry concealed weapons is asinine. The problem with what Pelosi said is that it misrepresents who will benefit from concealed carry reciprocity. The only people who H.R. 38 affects are those who have concealed carry permits, and all it does is extend their concealed carry rights to every state.

It won’t benefit violent criminals, domestic abusers, and convicted stalkers because federal law already prevents those people from owning guns. That doesn’t change if H.R. 38 becomes law. They’ll still be prohibited from owning or purchasing guns, which means Pelosi is flat-out wrong about what this act would do.

It doesn’t take anything besides a little common sense to see the flaws not just in Pelosi’s understanding of gun laws in the United States, but her logic. Does she really think that violent criminals are waiting for a concealed carry reciprocity law to pass before they use guns while committing crimes? There isn’t a point to a criminal getting a concealed carry permit in the first place. They don’t care about following concealed carry laws because they are criminals.

There are only two possible explanations for Pelosi’s tweet – she is deliberately lying to push her own agenda or she is misinformed about gun laws. The former seems more likely, but considering she once said that the First Amendment covers the right to bear arms, we can’t rule out the latter. Considering her unfortunate choice in profession, neither is acceptable.

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Is a Small Step in the Right Direction

Pelosi is far from the only person getting dramatic about concealed carry reciprocity, as several reporters have accused the federal government of trampling on state rights to set their own gun laws. This ignores the fact that the federal government already maintains a huge level of control over buying, moving and using firearms. It does everything from mandating background checks to defining the different forms of hearing protection people should wear at shooting ranges. Concealed carry reciprocity wouldn’t be the first time the government set a precedent with its gun laws.

What the act will do is make concealed carry a bit less convoluted for law-abiding citizens. Right now, if you have a concealed carry permit here in Virginia, you’re free to carry a concealed firearm in your car if you drive over to West Virginia, North Carolina or quite a few other states that honor your permit. But if you head north to Maryland, Delaware or over a dozen other states that don’t honor your permit, you could be charged with a crime.

The way concealed carry is currently setup is a mess. There’s no reason behind why a state will honor a permit from one of its neighbors but not another.

Critics have claimed this is unfair to states with stricter gun laws. We don’t make that argument when it comes to driver’s licenses, even though there’s certainly variance between how much training states require to get a license. If you have a license in one state, you’re free to drive throughout the country, because that’s the simplest, most effective option.

Concealed carry reciprocity is by no means perfect. It doesn’t fix the fact that many law-abiding citizens in blue states have no chance of getting a concealed carry permit, because their state’s laws don’t respect the Second Amendment. On a positive note, it at least restores gun rights that should have never been taken in the first place to some people.

Sam Bocetta is a retired engineer who worked for over 35 years as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, specializing in electronic warfare and advanced computer systems. He teaches in Ottawa, Canada as a part time engineering professor and is the ASEAN affairs correspondent for Gun News Daily.

Another day, another silly, uninformed anti-gun story by a liberal media outlet.

This time around, it was The Washington Post tracing where a handgun went over 12 weeks, and from the beginning, you can tell they’re trying to sell you on the horrors one gun can cause. The title alone references “a dozen criminal acts” and “the rapid cycle of gun violence.”

Today, we’ll go over how this gun-tracking experiment worked, and what ridiculous stories like this mean for you as a Virginia citizen.

What Happened in this Gun-Tracking Experiment

The story starts in a Virginia strip mall. Two young men, Jamal Fletcher Baker and Lawrence Monte Morgan, had been on a shopping spree, buying more than $3,500 worth of firearms.

They picked out a used Glock 17 at Virginia Arms Co. In case you’re not too familiar with Glock pistols, the Glock 17 is essentially the flagship model. Glock pistols in general are known for being reliable and easy to use, with a no-frills design.

So, Baker bought the gun and got a solid deal at $325. Even though he had just fille out Federal Form 4473 and claimed the gun was for himself, he gave it to his buddy Morgan about as soon as they got out of the shop.

Surprise, surprise – after that, the gun became part of all kinds of criminal activities. Six days after Baker bought the Glock, it was near Nationals Park, where it was used during a shootout at a barbecue. That incident occurred at a man named Romeo Hayes’ home. A friend of his had purchased the Glock from Morgan and got an extended 30-round magazine for it.

A few days later, the gun was in the glovebox of Hayes’ Nissan Altima. After a night of drinking and a brief confrontation at a nightclub, Hayes’ friend drove the car while Hayes opened fire with the gun. An off-duty police officer chased after the Altima, and Hayes shot at her, as well.

The Altima then pulled up to another car that coincidentally also had an off-duty detective, Thurman Stallings, in it. Hayes shot Stallings multiple times, but fortunately, Stallings survived.

Hayes and his friend fled the scene and briefly escaped. Police soon found the car again, since it was badly damaged, and chased it. The police would capture Hayes soon after, although they didn’t recover the gun. It would end up in the hands of an underground gun trader nicknamed “Poppa.”

The Glock 17 was eventually recovered about six months after Baker first bought it.

Stricter Gun Laws Aren’t the Answer

The Washington Post piece says that how quickly a gun can move from being sold to being used in a crime is “breathtaking,” although that is a bit overly dramatic. Of course if a criminal buys a gun, they probably aren’t going to wait long before using it during a crime.

Unfortunately, people draw the wrong conclusions from stories like this. Citizens and politicians hear about how recklessly criminals use guns like the AR-15, and they start calling out for what they consider “common sense” gun control measures. It’s funny how their common sense tells them to willingly give up rights that the Founding Fathers would have died for.

Anyone who understands Virginia’s gun laws would know that none of what happened with that Glock 17 was legal. That’s the problem with using these stories to argue for stricter gun laws. The people involved didn’t care at all about the current gun laws. What good would it do to add more gun laws that criminals won’t follow? The only person who suffers from that are responsible gunowners who respect the law.

Saying we need more gun control laws because criminals use guns illegally is like saying we need to go back to the Prohibition days because people drink and drive. The blame should be on the person who’s committing the crime. For that reason, there’s no need for more gun laws. We just need to enforce the ones we already have.

Virginia’s Gun Laws Are at Risk

As it stands, Virginia’s gun laws effectively balance public safety with the right to bear arms. That could change, though, if we aren’t careful.

The Democrats swept Virginia in early November, and advocates of gun control got an encouraging sign when they had just as many people hit the polls as advocates for gun rights. That hasn’t happened often, because it’s typically the gun rights advocates who come out to vote and protect their Second Amendment rights.

Some called it the “enthusiasm gap,” as the people who supported gun rights were much more committed to their beliefs than the people who supported gun control.

You can bet that the Democrats are going to try to use this victory to institute more gun legislation in Virginia and turn it into another heavily regulated mess, just like California or New York.

It’s important to remember that these things don’t happen all at once. The left slowly chips away at our gun rights, piece by piece, referring to everything as a common-sense measure that’s all about keeping people safe. Then, they gradually take more and more, until we end up with mandatory waiting periods, no concealed carry permits and assault weapons laws that ban just about every semiautomatic rifle you can imagine.

It has happened to other states, and it can happen to ours. That’s why we can’t be complacent just because we’re okay with our gun laws now. If we want to keep our right to bear arms, it’s our responsibility to fight for them.

Sam Bocetta is a retired engineer who worked for over 35 years as a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, specializing in electronic warfare and advanced computer systems. He teaches in Ottawa, Canada as a part time engineering professor and is the ASEAN affairs correspondent for Gun News Daily.

A story in the Richmond Times Dispatch November 14, 2016 prompted by a report of the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission ( JLARC) warrants taxpayers attention. It has long been alleged that the 20 year old legislation to create an ever expanding array of Economic Development agencies has been riddled with example after example of the political cronyism that should have been alone reason for former Gov. George Allen never to launch this program to begin with. The report by JLARC is cited in the Times –Dispatch article to illustrate the waste and inefficiency of the various grant programs that after 20 years should leave little doubt as to the sheer folly of government engaging in matters best left to the private sector.

One such example cited as evidence of how poorly managed these agencies are is the recent awarding of a $1.4 million grant to the Lindenburg Industries , a company that had used a website that published false information and used an physical address in North Carolina where it never had an actual presence. The furor led to the dismissal of then VDEP’s Executive Director Martin J. Briley in March.

These various State grants over the last 10 years have totaled almost 400 million dollars . The report by JLARC cited ‘ VEDP’s approach to administering incentive grants has exposed the state to avoidable risk of fraud and financial loss”. Too numerous to catalogue here were the dozens of specific weak practices that illustrate the wasteful nature of how these grant programs are being run. The report states “ VEDP is not an efficiently or effectively managed organization” Little guidance or oversight brings into question whether they ( various agency staff) are working the hours or producing the results for which they are paid what JLARC describes as aboveaveragewages for a state agency” .

Legislators comments were noted such as those of House Appropriations Chair Del. Chris Jones R-Suffolk ….. “ to read this ( JLARC Report) really made me sick to my stomach”. “ One of the worst things here is the culture and the pattern over many years” said Del. John O’Bannon III R-Henrico. Del. Robert D. Orrock Sr. R-Caroline said “ To me, this is just wide open for criminal activity”

The arguments for government to engage in spurring “ economic activity” are simply stupid on their face. The late Dr. Milton Friedman once said “ to encourage economic development you need low taxes, reasonable regulation, infrastructure and an educated workforce” What is even more telling is the documented fact that the U.S developed into an economic power unmatched anywhere in the world in its first 200 years ……….before government run economic development efforts even came into existence. I doubt it is a coincidence that growth rates were historically superior prior to these patently political efforts were launched . One politician noted “ it’s as if you dip a bucket into one end of a pool, then pour the contents into the other end , believing you somehow have more water “ .

Virginia has numerous areas that need the scant resources we have. One might cite the VRS and the perennial problem with the General Assemblies ducking what will only get worse. The money spent on these agencies is now after 20 years clearly not being allocated or monitored well. It is time to recognize one irrefutable truth when it comes to economic development

“ wise decisions usually result when one is risking one’s own capital, not so much the case when it is someone else’s money”

Let other states engage in the folly of literally bribing business to locate there, Virginia needs to be run by men & women who recognize the wisdom in distinguishing between things government should do, and things that should be left to a free market based process. Enough taxpayer money has already been squandered.

My own experience over the years has repeatedly led me to conclude how difficult it is to measure in an objective or quantifiable manner the results of these “investments”. Equally humorous is that many of the advocates of this practice are people who have spent their entire life working in the public sector and have never risked a single dime of their own starting a business. Our own local B.O.S here in King William is just such evidence. The Supervisors who this year voted to fund yet another Regional Economic Development effort are a case study. None of them have ever started a business on their own, and one works in an already well established family business. Having control of grant money, how it is spent and whom it ultimately goes to can give politicians a very powerful tool, and easily lead any human to act imprudently.

I am not supporting any State Senators in the Lt. Governor’s race this year. Neither Jill Vogel nor Bryce Reeves will see my endorsement for two reasons. First, neither has impressed me with their voting records. But the biggest reason by far is the balance of power in the State Senate. Vogel’s seat may be slightly easier to hold in a special election, but Reeves defeated long time Democrat Senator Edd Houck by a hair. And the last thing Virginia Republicans need is to lose the Senate majority. Terry McAuliffe and the Democrats have left the Commonwealth in a much weaker position and we will need both houses and the Governor’s office to restore the state to prosperity.

Right now, only Rep. Glenn Davis is in a position that will not adversely impact the Republican majority in the Legislature.

But if you have not seen the email story, it is in the Washington Post, and on TBE here and here. The second TBE link has several documents included which I have analyzed.

Just as a side note, I am currently an IT manager and have been in the computer and data communications field for over 30 years and have worked on computers for 44 years. I have been a consultant and have done corporate forensics and data restoration of deleted data. I have worked on military encryption gear and have basically spent my entire career in data and computer jobs.

Here is what happened according to the documents that were released.

On 9/22/2016 at 9:57 AM EDT a GMail account was created using the name Martha McDaniel. The email address was staffordforfreedom@gmail.com. The IP address logged was 72.165.xxx.xxx. TBE redacted the IP address in most, but not all places. (They missed one.) Google requires a phone number or other means to verify the user. The phone number they used was 202-669-XXXX – again redacted by TBE. According to TBE, the cell phone number belongs to Jill Vogel’s husband, Alex. And they have a recording of the voice mail message which they claim has been removed that identifies the number as belonging to Alex.

Update – 1/3/17 3:21 PM

Steve Albertson was kind enough to send me the un-redacted documents and, as I expected, the IP addresses do indeed match. So I can verify that the redactions are not relevant to the story.

Problems I have with this:

We can’t verify the phone number because it is redacted and there is no Subpoena Duces Tecum providing records for the cell phone owner. And there is no way to verify the recording as being from the number that has been redacted. Absent some type of phone verification records, I cannot verify that the phone is actually the one tied to the Google account. But I assume they would be able to produce this verified evidence or open themselves up to a suit.

The next event of note was an email sent from this account on September 30, 2016 at 12:49 PM EDT. The IP Address used to log on and send the email was 72.165.xxx.xxx as redacted by TBE. Again, we have no way of knowing the important last two octets of the address.

Another problem with a potential defamation suit is that the email in question does not actually accuse or claim Reeves is having an affair, only that there are rumors.

So what are the un-redacted IP Addresses? TBE redacted a lot of IP addresses in the various documents, but they failed to redact two of the IP addresses. Jill Vogel’s IP address is 162.72.231.134. At the bottom of the page found here just below the redacted IP address that is circled shows the full IP on the bottom line. This is Vogel’s home IP. Or it was from September 19 – September 22 according to the document. And according to the document from Google, the Vogel household accessed the Gmail account 3 times for about 45 seconds total only on September 22, 2016. NOT the day the email was sent.

The account was accessed a total of 6 other times by IP address 72.165.161.144. (If you look at the top of the Century Link response found here you will find the un-redeacted address.) This is the IP address of Vogel’s neighbor who alleges that they operate an unsecured internet WiFi Connection.

So the Gmail account was created on 9/22/2016 from the Vogel neighbor’s internet for a period of about 40 minutes. 4 minutes later, the Google logs show an access from the Vogel’s internet address a total of 3 times for less than a minute altogether. The account was accessed from the neighbor’s account 8 days later on September 30, 2016 at 16:41 UTC which is 12:41 PM EDT. 5 minutes later, the person logged off at 12:46 PM. The email in question was sent at 12:49 PM on September 30, 3 minutes after the account was logged off. But that 3 minute gap is insignificant and most likely accounted for by clock drift. Then on October 1, 2016 the neighbor’s IP address was used to delete the Gmail account.

But what these documents produced so far show is that the Gmail account was not created using Vogel’s internet service. Rather, it was created using a neighbor’s account. And the email was not sent from Vogel’s account, again, it was sent from the neighbor’s account.

Just after the Google account was created using the neighbor’s internet account it was accessed using Vogel’s internet. Not long enough to do anything other than log on and off.

The bottom line is that the account was created on an open WiFi and the email was written on an open WiFi that does not belong to Jill Vogel. The fact that the account was briefly accessed using the Vogel internet service isn’t proof that she was responsible for the email sent 8 days later.

So Reeves will have a hard time proving not only defamation, but he will also have a hard time proving that Vogel even knew anything about it. There is a lot of circumstantial evidence that gives way to a lot of interesting theories, but there is no proof.

I would urge TBE to republish the documents without redacting the IP addresses. Often, internet providers own large blocks of addresses. Class B or even A. The first two sets of digits (octets) are the only ones assigned to the owner of a Class B block. And the last two octets change. Not that I think TBE is playing with the redaction’s, but since they missed completely redacting the numbers, I would like to see the un-redacted copy.

The phone number is understandable. But a Subpoena of the phone records showing a text from Gmail would be helpful.

And again, at this point I do not plan to endorse either Senator, so I am not pulling for or defending anyone here. Just looking at the evidence.

Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog.
Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.